DEAD RECKONING

Made for Columbia
Pictures, DEAD RECKONING
appears to be an attempt to instantly recreate the success of Bogart's
previous Warner Brothers film THE BIG SLEEP - and not a bad attempt at
that. It's a film noir
that just about has it all - the
convoluted, murky plotline, the injured narrator (in shadow) telling
the
tale to a third party, the dead body being used as a prop, and the
Macguffin (a letter that is supposed to explain everything) that
everybody cares about but nobody ever bothers to
read. Every film noir
needs a femme fatale, and
it is only
natural that, with Bogart already showing so much chemistry with the
young, lanky and husky-voiced Lauren Bacall, Columbia would
team
him with young, lanky and husky-voiced Lizabeth Scott. She's good, but
there are no real Bogey-Scott fireworks. Still,
she would go on to become the Queen of Film Noir. Often overlooked when talking about Bogart movies, DEAD
RECKONING is still one of the finer films Bogey did for Columbia. - JL